Guidelines for Interacting with Cetaceans and Dugongs in Timor-Leste – Code of Conduct and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) is the official rulebook for whale, dolphin and dugong watching in Timor-Leste. Conservation International Timor-Leste supported it, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Forestry through the General Directorate of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Aquatic Resources Management (DG-PAGRA), with support from the SOMACORE programme. The current edition is signed in Dili on 30 September 2026. It turns the 2020 Guidelines for Interacting with Cetaceans and Dugongs in Timor-Leste into practical standards for operators, boat crews, guides, government agencies, researchers and visitors. Anyone running or joining a whale-watching or swim trip should follow it.
Key rules
- Five basic rules: keep your distance, approach slowly (no-wake speed, about 4 knots), observe quietly, do not chase, leave slowly.
- Minimum vessel distances: whales 100 m; dolphins and dugongs 50 m; 300 m for any animal with a calf. Approach from the side and behind, never head-on or directly from behind (the “no-approach zone”), and always leave an escape route.
- Vessel limits: a maximum of three vessels in the caution zone at once, with a shorter maximum stay (30 minutes) when other vessels are waiting. No leap-frogging, J-manoeuvres, herding, surrounding or separating animals, and no whale watching or swim encounters after 6 pm.
- Aircraft and drones: helicopters at least 500 m, fixed-wing aircraft at least 300 m and drones at least 60 m from marine mammals. Research or commercial filming needs authorisation.
- Mothers and calves: give extra space (300 m), never position a vessel between mother and calf, and never swim with cow-calf pairs or nursery pods.
- On board: no feeding or touching, no loud music or shouting, no flash photography or selfie sticks, no littering, and report injured or stranded animals.
- Swim-with-whales tourism: only through locally licensed operators, with a registered skipper, trained crew, an observer and a qualified local swim guide. Observe the animals for at least 20 minutes before any swim, and drop swimmers at least 50 m away. One swim vessel per animal or pod at a time. A swim vessel may stay in the caution zone for 1 hour when it is the only boat, or 20 minutes when two boats are present.
- Swimmers: no more than four swimmers plus one guide in the water, staying at least 30 m from animals. Encounters last up to 20 minutes, with a maximum of three swim attempts per pod per hour and no more than 2 hours of total interaction per animal or pod per day across all operators. No scuba, free-diving or underwater propulsion devices.
- Behaviour signs: sudden diving, tail slapping, rapid changes of direction or breathing, or moving away from the vessel mean the animals are disturbed, and the vessel should back off.
Document details
- Publisher: Conservation International Timor-Leste, with the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Forestry (DG-PAGRA); SOMACORE programme support
- Date: 30 September 2026 (Code of Conduct and SOP), based on the 2020 Guidelines
- Language: English
- Pages: 22
- Download: Official PDF (timorleste.tl)